Women in military often keep quiet on harassment

Survey: 60% in Reserves, Guard have been victims, but many urged to drop complaint

LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press |
September 30, 2005

WASHINGTON - Six in 10 women who have served in the National Guard and Reserves say they were sexually harassed or assaulted, but less than one-quarter reported it and many who did were encouraged to drop their complaints, a government survey says.

The survey by the Veterans Affairs Department found that nearly half of the women who responded said the incidents occurred while they were on duty.

One in 10 said she was raped, nearly 60 percent said they were verbally harassed, and the rest of the reports were for other types of incidents, according to the survey, which was released by Democratic members of Congress.

In addition, more than 27 percent of male Guard and Reserve veterans said they experienced some type of sexual harassment or assault — most often by other men.

"I am releasing the report, which I have obtained through other sources, to shine a light on serious problems that the White House wants to hide in the shadows," said Rep. Lane Evans of Illinois, the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Roger Kaplan, a spokesman in the Defense Department, said the survey "tells us that we were correct in placing greater emphasis on combating sexual assault and sexual harassment in the active and reserve components."

He said more recent surveys show lower rates of harassment and sexual assaults in the military.

Interviewed between August 2002 and March 2003 were men and women who had completed their service. No one in the Guard or Reserves at the time of the research was questioned.

The study surveyed those in the Guard and Reserves from 1950 to 2000; most of the 4,000 respondents served in the 1980s and 1990s.

The survey echoes oft-repeated concerns about sexual harassment and assault in the military.

In a report last year, the Pentagon acknowledged problems in preventing, treating and investigating sexual assaults on military personnel.

VA officials did not release their study from last year, saying it was still in the final stages of review.